


In the Mourning

by AceTrainerHope



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, G/T, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Terminal Illness, borrower!Eirika, borrower!Ephraim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceTrainerHope/pseuds/AceTrainerHope
Summary: With Vigarde growing weaker and weaker by the day, Lyon knows it's only a matter of time before he has to say one last good-bye to his father. What he never could've expected was the life-changing discovery he would make in his childhood home.
Relationships: Eirika & Lyon (Fire Emblem), Ephraim & Lyon (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	1. A Friend in Need, a Friend Indeed

Lyon had seen plenty of strange things in his life, especially during his early college years. Some of those strange things were the result of the sleep-deprived, caffeine-fueled mornings spent alone in his old apartment after pulling all-nighters to study for exams. Other times it was the odd cases they would get at the hospital he used to work as an intern at.

However, on this particular evening, standing in the kitchen of his sickly father’s home, what he was seeing now after he’d flicked on the light definitely won the title of ‘Most Strange.’ 

He had to be dreaming.

He just _had_ to be.

But he wasn’t.

At least… not that he was aware of. Then again, it was entirely possible that he was hallucinating right now. Chronic stress had a funny way of affecting one’s sanity, after all.

But… no. No. Lyon was pretty sure that the two mouse-sized people sitting on the kitchen counter—staring back at him with wide, fearful eyes—were real. 

One appeared to be male, while the other appeared to be female, and both had hair that was a vibrant shade of teal. Siblings, maybe? They were also both dressed in rather simple attire; sets of plain-looking tunics and pants in muted, earthy shades. They even had little packs slung over their shoulders.

More importantly, though, it seemed that the male one was injured. A bright trail of crimson dripped down one of his legs, which had easily drawn Lyon’s attention just as much as their tiny stature. 

“H… Hey there,” he finally managed to speak, taking a single step closer to the counter. 

Up until that point, the two little people had been completely silent and unmoving, but as soon as _he_ moved, that was quick to change.

The young woman immediately positioned herself between Lyon and her maybe-brother, taking a defensive stance as she pulled out a sewing pin from the belt she was wearing. The belt that looked an awful lot like an old nylon watch strap. Didn’t his father used to have a watch like that, a few years ago…?

The young man pulled out a pin of his own, but remained where he sat on the granite. 

Honestly, it was almost amusing to see the two of them brandish the pins like little swords. Minus the fact that they were clearly scared.

“St-Stay back!” the girl stammered, trying to sound brave and demanding even as her voice faltered.

Regardless, Lyon abruptly stopped in his tracks. Partly because he was pretty surprised to hear her speak, and partly because he was heeding her words. It wasn’t like her ‘weapon’ was all that threatening, but he would’ve still preferred to avoid getting stabbed with a sewing pin. 

“E-Easy, easy. I won’t hurt you,” he soothed, the words coming out quickly but softly. “Do you… Do you need some help?” 

“Not from you,” the young man practically spat in response.

“Ephraim, _don’t._ ” his maybe-sister scolded in a half-whisper, very briefly turning her head to look at him before snapping her attention back to Lyon.

 _Ephraim, huh…?_ he repeated to himself. “O-Okay then. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. I, um… I’ll even go into the other room, if you want?” he offered. 

He still had so many questions he wanted to ask, but… well, given how they were acting towards him, Lyon doubted he would even be able to get any proper answers from them. Maybe more hostile remarks, if anything. 

The tiny duo seemed like they were completely caught off-guard by what he’d just said, though. Almost as if they hadn’t expected him to give in so easily. But that moment of stunned silence didn’t last long. 

The young woman promptly sheathed her ‘weapon’ before moving to help get Ephraim back up onto his feet. She draped one of his arms over her shoulder and let him lean on her as he tried to stand, but the moment he tried putting any weight on his injured leg, Ephraim grimaced and all but collapsed back down to a seated position, nearly dragging his companion down with him. 

Lyon winced and forced himself not to move closer out of worry, especially when they both looked over to see how he would react.

So… Ephraim couldn’t walk, then? And from what Lyon could tell, despite the fact that both of them looked quite well-muscled and lean, it didn’t seem like the young woman would be able to carry him to… wherever it was they were hoping to get to.

“Go.”

A quiet command from Ephraim cut through the short-lived silence that had followed.

“What…?” the young woman questioned, possibly wondering if she’d misheard or misunderstood him. Even on such a tiny face, the concern she showed for him was clear as day.

“You heard me. _Go,”_ Ephraim repeated himself, going so far as to push her away from him with a rather forceful shove. 

His companion held her ground, though. “I am _not_ leaving you behind.” 

“Eirika, listen to me. I’m the one who made a stupid mistake, so don’t—”

“So you want to try fixing it by doing something _even more_ stupid?” 

If he wasn’t so focused on their argument, Lyon might’ve been a lot happier about knowing both of their names without even having to ask. 

Eirika and Ephraim.

Judging by the way they spoke to one another, his earlier hypothesis about the two of them being siblings seemed all the more plausible. 

Giving it another moment or two before trying to intervene, Lyon then quietly cleared his throat in hopes of regaining their attention. It worked a little _too_ well, though, considering they both flinched in response, turning to look at him once more. Eirika’s hand even went to her pin, ready to draw it back out if she felt that she needed to.

But when Lyon once again made no attempts to move any closer, the pair relaxed just the slightest little bit. 

“I… I really would like to help. If you’ll let me,” he insisted, continuing to speak softly. 

“…Help how?” Ephraim questioned, sounding more than a little skeptical.

“I could clean that wound and patch it up for you? O-Or just give you the supplies you need to do it yourselves?” 

“The supplies. Please,” Eirika accepted. She’d answered so quickly—probably because she didn’t want to give Ephraim the chance to reject the offer.

“Eirika—” he started, but a single glare from the other tiny individual stopped him from saying another word.

Eirika then turned to look at Lyon once more, her expression shifting to something surprisingly softer. There was still a notable amount of uncertainty in her eyes, but… maybe a bit of hope mixed in as well?

“I, um… The first-aid kit is in the cabinet above you,” he pointed out. The implication of that statement was pretty clear, but Lyon figured there wasn’t any harm in clarifying what he was getting at. “I’ll have to move closer to get it down.” 

A moment of hesitation followed before Eirika spoke again.

“Okay.” 

“Just don’t try anything funny,” Ephraim added curtly. 

“R-Right.” Truthfully, Lyon had to stop himself from smiling a little at that particular comment. He just thought that ‘try anything funny’ was a rather amusing way to put it. 

Nevertheless, he slowly approached the counter after that, not getting any closer than necessary in order to get to the overhead cabinet. He reached up and pulled the knob with equal slowness, preventing the usually-squeaky hinges from being as noisy as they usually were.

It felt so strange, acting like they were a pair of skittish animals instead of two people he could communicate with, but Lyon couldn’t exactly blame them for being nervous. They were so small that he could probably hold them both in one hand with room to spare, and it wouldn’t be hard at all for him to trap them and do whatever he pleased.

The very _thought_ of doing anything to harm them intentionally gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, though. He’d always been the type of person who released bugs back outside instead of squishing them, or to use humane, no-kill traps for mice and other animals that might be considered ‘pests.’ It was something his father always used to joke about with him, saying that Lyon would probably never even hurt a fly.

Picking up the first-aid kit off its shelf, Lyon placed it a good foot or so away from his tiny guests. With a soft _click,_ he popped open the lid and started getting out all the supplies they would need; rolls of gauze and medical tape, a bottle of antiseptic, a few cotton balls, a small pair of scissors… 

One by one, he set each item off to the side, closer to where Eirika and Ephraim were waiting. All the while, the two of them watched his every move like a pair of hawks, and he didn’t fail to notice how much they tensed at the sight of the scissors.

It was only after he’d gotten everything out that Lyon realized an important detail. Almost all of these items were much too big for either of them to take advantage of without at least _some_ intervention on his part. He’d probably have to cut a few strips of gauze and tape himself, and then there was the bottle—

“I-If… If you wouldn’t mind, maybe, um. Maybe you could prepare what we’ll need, and I could do the… the more hands-on tasks?” Eirika offered tentatively, actually going so far as to take a step closer to him.

“Oh. I wouldn’t mind at all,” Lyon replied sincerely, even donning a faint smile in the process. Much to his surprise, she returned it with a faint smile of her own.

Ephraim, on the other hand, looked more than a little unhappy with such arrangements, even if he didn’t say anything about it out loud. Lyon tried not to focus too much on that, though. Instead, he turned his attention toward getting to work, unscrewing the cap on the antiseptic and carefully pouring a few tiny drops onto one of the cotton balls. He then moved to hand it off to Eirika, continuing to make sure he didn’t do anything too suddenly. 

She tensed up again as his hand drew closer, but she managed to stand her ground and accept the small wad of cotton from him. The fact that she used two hands to hold it when he’d only used two _fingers_ was hard not to take note of. 

Eirika then promptly returned to Ephraim’s side, kneeling down next to him before gingerly starting to rub the cotton ball against his injury.

As soon as it made contact with his skin, Ephraim grimaced and bit his lip. He didn't make a sound, though, and Lyon imagined that he was probably trying his best to fight through what must’ve been some pretty painful stinging. 

But while Eirika continued to work away at cleaning the wound, Lyon busied himself with preparing the gauze and tape next, cutting off several thin strips of each. Once she was ready, he handed those off to her as well. It wouldn’t be long before she wrapped the white fabric tightly around Ephraim’s leg, using the tape to keep it secured. 

And that was that. 

Lyon returned everything to its proper place and then took a few steps back, certain that Eirika and Ephraim would appreciate the space now that he didn’t _need_ to be so close to them anymore. While he did all that, Eirika helped Ephraim up to his feet again. This time around, the tiny young man was much more mindful about putting as little weight as possible on his injured leg.

For the next few moments, a rather awkward silence fell over the three of them as an unasked question hung in the air. 

What now?

Even with his leg all patched up, Ephraim would still need to give himself some time to recover before he could walk properly. Surely it wouldn’t be wise for him and Eirika to stay on the kitchen counter to do that, though. 

To Lyon, the solution to that problem was a pretty obvious one. He just didn’t know how well his little houseguests would react to such a proposition—forget about whether or not they’d actually _agree_ to it. Of course, he’d never know if he didn’t ask. 

“So, er… You’ll need somewhere to rest for the night, right?” 

Trying to figure out how to phrase his question was quite the endeavor. He’d hate to be too presumptuous.

“If you’re asking whether or not we’ll stay, it’s not like we have much of a choice,” Ephraim quipped, sounding more than a little frustrated. Whether that frustration was aimed at the situation or at Lyon… Well, it was probably a bit of both. 

“N-No, I was just wondering if—I mean, I could set something up that might be a bit more comfortable for you, if you’d like?” 

“Well… It _would_ be nice if we weren’t so out in the open…” Eirika noted, mostly to herself. Her gaze briefly drifted to meet with Ephraim’s as she spoke. “What exactly did you have in mind?” she asked Lyon.

“I, um… I was thinking I could bring you back to my room?” 

_Gods,_ why did it have to sound so weird when he phrased it like that? Was he blushing now? His cheeks definitely _felt_ somewhat warmer. On the bright side, at least Eirika and Ephraim weren’t looking at him right now. Instead, they were sharing uncertain expressions with one another.

Actually, it looked like they were whispering to each other. Lyon had no hope of hearing what they were saying, but he didn’t really need to—what they must’ve been talking about was pretty obvious.

A few moments passed before either of them turned back to him. This time, Ephraim was the one to speak up first.

“Just… no grabbing, got it? Let us come to you.”

Truthfully, Lyon was almost too stunned to say anything at first. He just… He could hardly believe that they were _actually_ accepting his offer.

“R-Right. Of course,” he stammered in response before once again approaching the counter at a slow and tentative pace. Lyon then held out one hand, resting it palm up on the granite surface a good few inches away from Eirika and Ephraim.

Understandably, the two of them were extremely hesitant in regard to what came next. Just because they’d agreed, that didn’t mean they were happy about it.

But when they finally started to move, it took every ounce of self control Lyon possessed to stop himself from smiling at the course of actions that followed. 

Even though Ephraim had Eirika to lean on, it probably wouldn’t have been the best idea for him to try walking because of his injury. But what Lyon hadn’t expected was for Eirika to scoop Ephraim up and carry him—bridal style—over to Lyon’s waiting hand.

It was a pretty impressive feat of strength on Eirika’s part, although Ephraim looked more than a little embarrassed to be seen in such a way.

But… It meant that neither of them really had the chance to hesitate anymore. With Ephraim in her arms, they couldn’t stop and think about the fact that they were willingly putting themselves into a comparably giant hand until they were already there.

Lyon forced himself to stay as still as possible once Eirika’s tiny boots made contact with his skin, especially after she set Ephraim down and started situating herself next to him.

 _Oh Gods,_ this was really happening. Lyon actually had two tiny people—two thinking, feeling individuals—sitting in the palm of his hand.

Now it was even more impossible to deny that they were real. Not when he could feel their warmth, their barely-noticeable weight, and every little move they each made as they tried to get comfortable. 

Well, as comfortable as they _could_ get, given the circumstances.

“Are you, ah… Are you ready?” he checked.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Ephraim noted while Eirika simply gave a quick nod. They both looked like they were bracing themselves for when he actually picked them up.

Right then. Okay.

Lyon didn’t think he’d ever been more careful in his entire life, moving at a snail’s pace as he lifted his hand away from the countertop and brought it up closer to his chest. He kept to that pace even after he started walking, trying to make sure his hand stayed as steady as possible the entire time. 

Part of it was because he wanted to be mindful of Ephraim’s leg, but Lyon wouldn’t have wanted to jostle them around too much even if one of them _hadn’t_ been injured. 

In spite of that, though, his two little passengers both ended up clinging to his partially curled fingers for additional support. 

He almost wanted to ask if he was going too fast, but he doubted that was actually the case. This was likely just a whole new experience for all three of them, and it would be difficult to get used to no matter how careful Lyon was. Although, it probably helped that he _was_ being so careful.

Needless to say, the journey back to his bedroom was a much longer one than usual.

Upon passing the door that led to his father’s bedroom, Lyon couldn’t help but wonder how Vigarde might react if he saw Eirika and Ephraim. In his current state, would he even react at all? Nowadays, Vigarde was almost completely bedridden, spending the majority of his time sleeping. Lyon could hardly get a word out of him—or even get him out of bed for more than half an hour or so.

Compared to how things used to be… 

No. Best not to delve into those kinds of thoughts. Especially now, with the tiny passengers Lyon was currently traveling with. 

Just a few more paces down the hall, his own bedroom door was ajar, left open from his trip to the kitchen. Funny how the simple task of trying to get a glass of water had turned into so much more… 

Dim light from his bedside lamp peeked out into the otherwise darkened hallway, and its faint glow made Lyon realize that he’d forgotten to turn off the kitchen light on his way out. 

_Oh. Oh well…_

He couldn’t be bothered enough to turn around and go back for it. Besides, there was hardly any harm in leaving it on for the rest of the night, just this once. 

As he crossed the threshold and quietly nudged the door closed with his foot, Lyon’s eyes drifted down to Eirika and Ephraim. The two of them had been completely silent ever since they’d gotten situated in his hand—or, at the very least, they hadn’t spoken loud enough for him to hear anything. 

However, when they both turned to look up at him a few moments later, likely wondering why he was just standing there with his back against the door, Lyon quickly averted his gaze to focus on the rest of the room instead. He still needed to find a suitable place for them to stay for the night, after all. It definitely _wasn’t_ because he was embarrassed that they might catch him staring at them.

Right. Okay. Where to put them…? 

His first thought was the nightstand next to his bed, but he promptly rejected that idea. It would probably be hard for the two of them to get any rest if they were stuck being so close to him.

The bookshelf next to the door was out of the question as well, given that it was completely crammed with different textbooks and novels—there were even a few books haphazardly stacked up on the very top. A similar problem ruled out his writing desk, which was currently a cluttered mess of paperwork and file folders. 

Ah, he really needed to get those properly organized soon. Maybe—no, no. _Focus._

That just left his dresser, pretty much. A decent enough option, even though the polished woodwork probably wasn’t the cushiest surface to use as a bed. He supposed he could always fold up a shirt for them to lay on, though. Or maybe get the throw pillow from his desk chair…?

Either way, Lyon didn’t want to drag this out any longer than he already had. Eirika and Ephraim were probably itching to get back to solid ground as soon as possible. 

Upon reaching the dresser, he lowered his hand down to the smooth surface, giving the two of them the chance to climb off on their own. “I, um, I can get something softer for you to lay on, but… ah, is this spot alright?” 

“This is fine. Thank you,” Eirika responded politely after helping Ephraim, who seemed more focused on scrutinizing every little detail of their new surroundings.

With both hands now free, Lyon pulled open the top drawer to fish out one of his old t-shirts, folding it up until it was pretty much equal to a queen-sized bed for the pair of tiny individuals. 

“There we go…” he stated softly as he set it down next to them.

“Why are you doing this?” 

Ephraim’s sudden question nearly caused Lyon to flinch. He just hadn’t been expecting it at all. Well—he mostly hadn’t been expecting the harsh, accusatory tone Ephraim had used. 

“D-Doing what?”

“Going out of your way to help us!” the teal-haired man clarified, as if the answer was supposed to be obvious. “There has to be _something_ in it for you, right? Why else would you be doing so much for us?” 

Eirika looked like she wanted to interrupt, but… She didn’t this time. She _did_ look more than a little conflicted, though. Maybe there was a part of her that wanted to know the answer just as much as Ephraim? 

“I-I mean, I haven’t really done _that_ much, honestly. I haven’t—I’d hardly say that I’ve ‘gone out of my way’ to help you,” Lyon pointed out. He _tried_ not to trip over his words so much, but that clearly wasn’t panning out. “But, I mean, I just—you needed help, and I could give it to you. So I did.” 

Ephraim didn’t look convinced. “Just because you could? Well, there’s plenty of terrible things you _‘could’_ have done instead, so why—” 

“I—I think that’s enough for now, Ephraim,” Eirika cut in. “It’s… It’s late. We should all try to get some rest.” 

Right. _Rest._

As if Lyon could actually fall back to sleep after learning that _little people_ existed. Gods, the past few nights had already been plagued with insomnia for him, but now? Sleep was easily the furthest thing from his mind. 

He’d at least have to _try,_ though. More for Eirika and Ephraim’s sakes than his own. The last thing he wanted to do was keep either of them up just because _he_ couldn’t sleep. 

“O-Okay… Well, um. Rest well?” It just felt like the right thing to say, even if he felt hopelessly awkward while saying it. 

Ephraim pretty much ignored him entirely, but Eirika actually gave him another one of those faint little smiles of hers.

“You too, Lyon.”


	2. Restlessness

This must’ve been what it felt like to go insane. 

Forcing himself to just lay there in bed without tossing or turning—without getting up, flicking on the light, and going over to his desk—Lyon probably _was_ about to lose it. His mind was still racing, both from his latest discovery _and_ from the mountain of other worries he was battling.

Laying on his side, he glanced over at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

 **3:07AM** stared back at him in glaring red light, intensified by the darkness of the room. How long had it been since his trip to the kitchen? An hour? Two? 

Ugh.

This was torture.

Maybe if he was _really_ careful, he might be able to slip out of bed and sneak out into the living room without waking his tiny guests. Assuming they were even asleep to begin with, that is. For all he knew, they were just as awake as he was right now.

He didn’t really have any way of knowing unless—

“…Lyon?” 

A gasp almost escaped him in response to the soft whisper that called his name. 

It took him a moment to process the voice as Eirika’s, and without a decent source of light, it took him even longer to figure out where she was. She had to be close by, though, for him to have heard her—definitely not over on the dresser anymore. 

_There._

Lyon’s eyes were drawn to the tiny young woman as the pin at her waist glinted in the glow of his clock. 

“E-Eirika? What… How did you get over here?” he wondered in the softest tone he could muster. 

“Oh. I just climbed,” she explained. It wasn’t like she was rude about it, but her tone almost made it seem like the answer should’ve been obvious. There was a part of him that wanted to follow up with a ‘climbed _what?’_ but he opted for a different question instead. 

“Do you—I-Is everything alright?”

“Well… I just… I couldn’t really sleep, and I thought I’d see if you couldn’t either,” she replied. “Oh, but don’t worry; Ephraim pretty much passed out earlier. He never would’ve let me do this if he was still awake,” she added with a faint, lighthearted chuckle. 

Such a comment actually managed to get a hint of a smirk out of him. “You two are brother and sister, yeah?” 

“Yes. Twins, actually, if you’d believe it.” She paused for a moment before speaking again. “…I’m sure you have far more questions about us than just that, though.”

His smirk widened just the slightest bit.

“I’m that easy to read, huh?”

“Only a little. To be honest, I’d be surprised if you _didn’t_ have more questions, though. So go on, ask away,” she encouraged him, taking a seat at the very edge of his nightstand. With her legs dangling off the side, Lyon had to admit that she was making him pretty nervous by sitting like that. But he decided against actually voicing such concern out loud.

He was pretty impressed by how talkative she was being, too—no longer _nearly_ as shy or reserved as she had been earlier. Was this what she was normally like, then? When fear wasn’t there to hold her back?

“I guess I’ll start with the biggest one. Ah, sorry if this comes off as rude, but… What exactly _are_ you?”

“Don’t worry, that’s not rude at all. We—well, we call ourselves borrowers. We survive by taking what we need from humans. Just… Just little things that won’t be missed or noticed. Bits of food, scraps of fabric, stray paper clips… Things like that.”

As she finished up that particular explanation, Eirika looked to him… expectantly? Nervously? It was hard to say with the lack of proper light, but it seemed like she was waiting for some kind of reaction on his part.

No response really came to mind, though. Her answer only served to fuel the half-dozen _other_ questions that were nagging at him.

“So… you and Ephraim both live here? In my father’s house?” There was only pure curiosity in his tone, nothing harsh or accusing in the slightest. 

And when Eirika only gave him a simple nod, he moved on to a new question yet again.

“And… how long have you two lived here?”

“I… hmm… I’m not entirely sure. A few years, I think? Maybe two or three? It’s not… We don’t exactly have any good way of keeping track of time,” she admitted somewhat sheepishly. 

So perhaps they had arrived at some point after Lyon left for school? Call it a bit conceited, but he was pretty confident that he would’ve noticed their presence much sooner if they’d been around any earlier than that. He was more observant than most—or so he liked to believe.

“Where did you live before?”

“The house next door. The family that was living there left, so… well, we had to do the same, since we didn’t know when a new one would move in.”

“So then… What are you going to do if… _when_ my father… dies?”

Unsurprisingly, his words were much more hesitant when he asked _that_ question. Being reminded of the inevitable end that was sure to come sooner rather than later, who could blame him?

This time around, Eirika took quite a bit of time to come up with her answer.

“We… Ephraim and I haven’t talked about anything like that… I mean, we’ll probably just end up moving again. We’re not really used to planning that far ahead.

 _‘That far ahead’?_

Wait.

Did they… Did Eirika and Ephraim not know how serious Vigarde’s condition was?

Actually…

In thinking about it, Lyon probably shouldn’t have been all too surprised by such information. How _could_ they have known, honestly? It was possible that the twins might have overheard some conversations in the past, but it wasn't as if Lyon or Vigarde had ever gone into all that much detail at home. 

Those kinds of discussions would’ve happened in all the different doctors’ offices he and his father went to, back when Vigarde had still been healthy enough to hold proper conversations with people.

“Eirika, I don’t… I don’t think you understand. He—My father isn’t going to recover from this. He… He probably doesn’t have very much time left.”

Somehow, for whatever reason, admitting that out loud didn’t hurt nearly as much as Lyon would’ve expected. Maybe he’d just been keeping it inside for too long. Maybe he actually needed to get it off his chest and _tell_ someone.

Not that he felt particularly better after saying those words, but… he definitely didn’t feel worse.

However, Eirika’s expression was soon to change once she seemed to fully process what he’d just told her. Her eyes widened, and she looked genuinely shocked.

“O-Oh. I—Lyon, I’m so sorry. I… We had no idea…”

“You don’t have to apologize. I just… That’s part of why I wanted to help you and Ephraim so badly. I can’t… I can’t do anything for my father, but helping you two was easy.”

He would’ve helped them regardless of Vigarde’s current condition, but it definitely made him all the more determined to do something that wouldn’t make him feel quite so… so _powerless_.

A moment of silence stretched on following those words—probably because Eirika didn’t know what else she could say after that.

Should he try asking another question to change the subject? Or… Or would it be best to stop for now?

“I, ah… I should probably get back to Ephraim…” the tiny woman eventually piped up. Well, it would seem she’d made the decision for him, then. Not that he was complaining—he just hoped that he hadn’t made feel like she _had_ to go.

“Alright. Do you, um, want any help with that?” 

Lyon had almost asked if she _needed_ any help, but she’d obviously been able to make her way over to his nightstand on her own. 

“Oh. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine,” she assured him, pulling something out of her pack as she spoke. 

Taking a second, Lyon soon recognized it as a fish hook attached to a coil of thread—almost like miniature climbing gear. 

He could really only watch as Eirika sunk the hook into a tiny section of his bedside table, close to the edge.

Wait, was she actually about to—

By some miracle, Lyon managed to stop himself from lunging to try and catch Eirika when she started scaling down the nightstand. She wasn’t falling, he reminded himself. This was probably exactly how she and Ephraim got around on a daily basis, mountaineering their way through a world were everyday pieces of furniture where comparable to skyscrapers. It made perfect sense, the more Lyon thought about it. 

No wonder Eirika had been able to carry Ephraim the way she’d done earlier—they both must’ve had incredible upper body strength. Even with their small stature, it was undeniably incredible. As far as Lyon was concerned, anyway. 

Once Eirika successfully reached the floor, it became too difficult for Lyon to see what all she did next. He could only assume that she’d started walking over to the dresser and would then somehow climb up to the top of it. Considering she’d managed to get to the top of his nightstand, Lyon didn’t doubt that she’d be able to pull it off. He just wished he could actually see _how_ she did it. 

Maybe in the morning…

Or… Was it naïve of him to hope that he might get to see the twins again after this night was over? 

Well, there was only one way to find out.

* * *

  
  


He wasn’t sure exactly when, but at some point after his conversation with Eirika, Lyon had actually, _finally_ managed to fall asleep.

It probably wasn’t the healthiest amount he could’ve gotten, but… well, in all honesty, he woke up feeling more rested than he had in weeks. 

Sitting up, he let his gaze drift over to the dresser somewhat hesitantly, almost nervous about what he might see. Or _not_ see. 

The twins were both gone. His shirt was still there, still folded up into a relatively neat little square, but other than that, there was no sign that either of them had been there. 

He shouldn’t have been surprised—and he wasn’t, really—but… he _was_ more than a little disappointed.

Oh well. 

With a particularly heavy sigh, Lyon dragged himself out of bed and began the process of getting ready to start the day. He couldn’t afford to waste time moping around about Eirika and Ephraim—there were much more pressing issues to attend to. 

For starters, he needed to make breakfast for his father. It probably would’ve been a good idea to make something for himself too, but… For the past few weeks, ‘breakfast’ for him usually just meant a fresh cup of coffee. It was rare for him to feel like he could stomach much else first thing in the morning. 

Today felt… different, though. 

Maybe because of the rest he’d been able to get? Or because of last night’s little surprise. Whatever the reason, it might be nice to try and change things up a bit—to treat both himself and Vigarde to something outside of their usual routine. His father was quite limited in terms of what he was actually able to eat anymore, but surely Lyon could get creative and come up with a way to make it a little more special. 

With those sorts of pleasant thoughts in mind, Lyon left his room and ventured out to the kitchen, already starting to come up with a few good ideas. 

* * *

Unbeknownst to Lyon, it turned out that the twins hadn’t actually moved all too far away from their temporary resting spot. 

As the lavender-haired human exited the bedroom, Eirika and Ephraim were waiting in the shadows _underneath_ the dresser, just out of sight. Waiting to see what kind of reaction Lyon might have to their disappearance. 

“It’s like he barely even cared that we were gone…” Ephraim muttered, more to himself than to Eirika. He would’ve expected the human to try and look for them a little, or maybe call out to them. Instead, Lyon just seemed to have… accepted it. As if he’d known that it was coming. 

“I think we should stay,” Eirika stated somewhat softly, opting not to acknowledge her brother’s words. 

“Huh?” 

“I… I think we should stay. Here. In this house, I mean,” she clarified. “At least until Vigarde is… gone. We don’t… I don’t think we need to move out just yet.” 

“Eirika, we’ve been seen. Don’t tell me that _I_ have to remind _you_ of the rules,” he remarked, sounding honestly rather amused. His expression turned a bit more somber not long after that, though. 

His sister _had_ told him about her conversation with Lyon last night, and while he had been more than a little annoyed that she’d done something that risky, he couldn’t really blame her for trying to get more information. And… no matter how wary he was of Lyon’s true intentions, he also couldn’t help but sympathize with what the human was going through right now. 

“Listen, I… My leg’s probably going to need a few more days to fully recover anyway. We’ll give it until then before making any big decisions, alright?”

Eirika noticeably seemed to brighten in response to his answer. “Alright. Thank you, Ephraim.” 

“Just promise me you won’t try to do anything crazy in the meantime.” 

“I promise I won’t.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Oh boy, y'all_  
>  Hope's actually gonna try her hand at a new multi-chapter fic x'D
> 
> I'm honestly really surprised that I actually managed to get this posted in time for the 15-year anniversary of the North American release for Sacred Stones. So yeah, happy anniversary to my all-time favorite Fire Emblem game. Time to be the self-indulgent little gremlin that I always am and post a borrower AU. Shocking, I know.
> 
> Funnily enough, I actually started this particular project about two years ago, but it took me this long to finally get around to finished the first... chapters. Plural. This was initially just going to be one chapter, but it ended up getting so long that I decided to break it up into two. And instead of waiting a bit before I posted the second chapter, I decided to post them both at the same time because _who is Patience I've never met her._
> 
> But yeah, I don't know when the next chapter will be along, although I do have a fairly decent plan for where I want to take things. Let's all pray that I can update within the next month or two. My brain is very unreliable with fic-making and I really wish I could fix that :'D
> 
> Hopefully you all enjoyed what I've got so far, though, and thank you for reading! 
> 
> (also, spoiler alert: Eirika's totally gonna break that promise next chapter. I'm sure _no one_ saw that coming. :P )


	3. Gratitude

It was getting fairly close to noon by the time Lyon finished sorting out his father’s morning needs. _Making_ breakfast had been the easiest part of that process, while everything that came after had been… Well, they weren’t necessarily difficult tasks, but they _were_ things that most people Lyon’s age probably didn’t have to do for their parents on a regular basis. 

For starters, Vigarde had to be spoon-fed all of his meals, which usually ended up being rather time-consuming. Lyon also had to help his father get dressed each day—although “help” was a pretty generous way of putting it—along with a myriad of other things. 

Needless to say, it was just… It had been a lot for Lyon to get used to.

And now he was busying himself with taking care of his and his father’s dishes from breakfast, carrying them out to the kitchen sink to be washed, dried, and put away. His father _did_ have a dishwasher, but Lyon honestly preferred cleaning the dishes by hand these days. It just gave him a good way to distract himself and pass the time—without feeling like he was _wasting_ time.

Maybe he’d ended up letting himself get a bit _too_ distracted, though. 

“Lyon?” 

He was just about to finish drying off the last dish when the sound of Eirika’s voice took him by surprise. In fact, it surprised him _so much_ that the plate he’d been holding tumbled from his grasp, landing on the floor with a particularly loud clatter. Thankfully, though, it didn’t break upon impact. 

A quick look around revealed that the tiny woman was standing on the edge of the kitchen counter, near the same spot where he had discovered her and Ephraim last night. 

“O-Oh, Eirika. You actually—Er, I-I’m sorry. You startled me,” he apologized before promptly picking the dish back up. He’d probably startled _her_ just as badly after dropping it like that. 

“No, no, you’re fine! I’m the one who should be sorry,” she insisted.

“I’m sorry, I just—I can’t believe you actually… you actually came back,” Lyon continued, although he almost wanted to smack himself for apologizing _again._ “Is… Is Ephraim with you?”

“Oh, n-no. He… He’s back home. Getting more rest for his leg,” the tiny young woman explained. For a split second, Lyon could’ve sworn that he saw a faint hint of guilt in her expression. But maybe he’d just imagined it. “He’s doing a lot better, though!” she added rather quickly. “Thank you again for helping us.” 

There was a part of him that wanted to ask where exactly ‘home’ was, but he immediately thought better of it. No matter how much Eirika trusted him, that particular piece of information probably wasn’t something she felt comfortable enough to disclose. 

“You’re welcome. I’m glad to hear that,” he replied, donning a warm, genuine little smile. “And I’m glad to see you again, too.”

Eirika promptly returned that smile with one of her own, but… much to Lyon’s concern, it soon faded into a more somber expression. 

“I, um… That’s not the only reason I came to see you again, though,” she started rather hesitantly. A hint of nervousness crept its way into her tone as she said that, only serving to to fuel his worries even more. “I was wondering if… if it’s not too much trouble, could I… Could you take me to see your father?” 

Well, Lyon certainly hadn’t been expecting her to ask something like _that,_ but at least it explained why Eirika sounded so nervous. 

The request started to make a bit more sense the longer he thought about it, though. After all, she’d just recently learned that his father didn’t have much time left. Considering she and her brother had been living here for quite some time, Lyon supposed it was fair that she’d want to pay her respects in such a way.

Besides, given Vigarde’s current state, it wasn’t as if Eirika actually had to worry about interacting with another human. Lyon was positive that his father would just continue to sleep through the whole encounter. 

Plus… Well… 

Lyon would’ve been lying if he said he wasn’t eager for the chance to hold one of the twins again—although he’d never admit it out loud. 

It had been more than a little nerve-wracking, sure, but it had also been such an interesting experience. Almost indescribable, really. And honestly, after the twins’ abrupt disappearance earlier that morning, it was an experience Lyon thought he wouldn’t ever get to have again. 

But here Eirika was, actually _asking_ him to carry her so that they could visit his father together. 

So, much like last night, it wasn’t long before Lyon approached the counter, resting one hand upon the flat surface for Eirika to climb onto.

A lot of things were obviously different about last night, though.

For starters, Eirika didn’t have Ephraim with her this time. She would be sitting alone in the palm of Lyon’s hand. Plus, without the responsibilities of helping her brother because of his injury, it was much easier for Eirika to hesitate—to take the time to reflect on just how vulnerable she was about to make herself.

And hesitate was exactly what Eirika did. 

Almost a full minute passed in silence as she simply just stood there, staring at his hand. As far as Lyon could tell, her expression looked like it was riddled with uncertainty. 

He didn't mind waiting, though. Especially since he could only imagine just how hard it was for either of the twins to actually do such a thing. Besides, it wasn’t like he was in any particular sort of rush at the moment. 

The stillness eventually ended when Eirika turned her gaze upward, finally looking away from Lyon’s hand to meet his eyes instead.

In response, he gave her his best attempt at a reassuring smile, hoping it conveyed that he was perfectly fine with letting Eirika take as much time as she needed.

Perhaps that was the exact sort of confidence boost she was hoping for, because it wasn’t long after that when she started walking forward. 

Once she was close enough, she used his thumb almost like a guardrail, hoisting herself up and into his waiting palm. Just like last time, trying not to twitch in response to such light, tiny contact was nearly impossible. 

But somehow, Lyon managed.

Eirika then gave him a quick nod to let him know that she was ready for him to start moving, which was exactly what he did next.

The same cautious steps he’d used last night were now bringing him back to Vigarde’s bedroom with his tiny passenger in tow, and although it took a bit more time than usual, it wasn’t long before he arrived at their destination. As Lyon opened the door and slipped inside, he left it ajar behind him—he just didn’t really see much point in closing it. 

The room was quiet, save for the soft whir of the ceiling fan and the sound of Vigarde’s steady breathing. It was pretty dark as well, with the only source of light coming through the window’s slightly-parted curtains.

Just like Lyon had expected, Vigarde was sound asleep. His father didn't even stir as he entered the room with Eirika, or as he approached the bed, walking over toward the simple wooden chair he kept next to it. 

“Is it alright if I sit down?” he whispered to Eirika. He didn’t know how long she would want to stay, but either way, he figured it wouldn’t hurt if he made himself a bit more comfortable. 

She flinched ever so slightly when he spoke—just barely enough for him to notice—but quickly nodded a moment later. 

With his free hand, Lyon moved the chair right up to the side of the bed before taking a seat. From there, he rested _both_ hands down in his lap, hoping that Eirika wouldn’t mind that either. 

If she did, she didn't say anything about it, and the two of them sat in silence for a while after that, both just watching the slow rise and fall of Vigarde’s chest with every breath the older man took.

Until Lyon decided to reach out and hold one of Vigarde’s hands, using his thumb to trace slow little circles on the back of it. 

It was kind of nice, actually—just sitting there quietly with his father and Eirika, lost in the moment. 

“I, um. Hello there, sir…”

Eirika’s soft voice just barely managed to reach Lyon’s ears, and he couldn’t help but glance down at her with a curious expression. She wasn’t looking at him, though; she was still looking at his father. 

“I just wanted to thank you for… for giving my brother and I a place to stay, even though you never knew the two of us were here…”

After that, her own gaze eventually drifted up to meet Lyon’s, and despite the lack of light, he could tell that she was blushing somewhat, almost as if she was embarrassed.

“I know it seems silly, but I… I’ve never gotten the chance to thank any of the people we’ve lived with before. It just… It felt like the right thing to do,” she explained herself.

“I don’t think that’s silly at all,” he assured her. “In fact, I think that’s very thoughtful of you, Eirika.” There was a faint yet genuine smile on his face as he said that, because it was absolutely true. It _was_ thoughtful of Eirika to want to do something like that, even if his father wasn’t actually aware enough to get her message. The intent behind her words was what really mattered, as far as he was concerned.

“Mmuhh…?”

The sudden sound of Vigarde’s voice caused Lyon to flinch in surprise—and he felt Eirika do the same. He watched the older man stir a bit, but Vigarde’s eyes remained unfocused after they fluttered open, almost as if they were clouded over.

Lyon’s own gaze promptly shot back down to Eirika when he heard the tiny girl let out a slight whimper. She was practically cowering behind his fingers—trying to hide from Vigarde, no doubt. 

“It’s alright,” Lyon soothed. “He won’t see you.” 

The tiny woman looked up at him with a clear look of disbelief, making it obvious that she didn’t believe those words at all.

Well, if he wanted her to believe it, he’d just have to prove it to her.

Turning his gaze back over to Vigarde, he spoke a bit louder than he’d done previously. His words were slower and more enunciated as well.

“Hello Father, it’s Lyon. You can go back to sleep if you’d like.” 

The older man’s head turned vaguely in Lyon’s direction, almost as if he couldn’t see _anything._ It wasn’t actually quite that severe, but Vigarde’s vision had been one of the first things to worsen as his illness progressed.

“Ah… ‘yon…”

A hint of a smile tugged at Vigarde’s lips, but it didn’t last very long. His eyes slowly shut once more, and the neutral expression of sleep soon took its place. 

And not long after _that,_ Lyon felt the tension leave Eirika’s small form.

“Would it be alright if we went back out to the kitchen?” he asked her.

She nodded. “That’s—That would be fine, yes.”

With that decided, Lyon let go of his father’s hand and rose up from the chair, continuing to use the same level of caution he’d adopted ever since Eirika stepped onto his hand. 

After the two of them returned to the kitchen, Lyon brought Eirika over to the part of the countertop where she’d first greeted him, letting her climb off at almost the exact same spot.

The tiny young woman hardly wasted any time getting herself back onto solid ground, although it wasn’t like she was rushing to get away from him.

In fact, before Lyon could move his hand away, Eirika promptly turned to face him, placing both of her own hands on his fingertips. The gesture surprised him—and even seemed to surprise Eirika herself to a certain extent. 

“Sorry, I just—I wanted to thank _you,_ too, Lyon. For giving me the chance to do something like that,” she explained, pulling her hands away after she finished speaking. “I don’t… I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it on my own.”

“O-Oh. I—You’re… You’re welcome,” he stammered out, subsequently bringing his own hand back to his side. 

If anything, he felt like _he_ should’ve been the one thanking _her_ for this whole experience. The fact that Eirika had trusted him enough to go through with all of that was almost as surreal to him as her and her brother’s very existence.

So surreal, in fact, that he hardly knew what to say next. And as such, it wasn’t long before another moment of silence stretched out between the two of them.

In that brief period of time, Lyon’s gaze ended up finding its way over to the clock on the wall. 

Already well past noon… 

Actually, that gave him an idea. 

“Say, Eirika…? If you wouldn’t mind—Er, that is, if you’d like to… Maybe you and I could have lunch together?”

Right away, Lyon could tell that his question caught her off-guard. Just as quickly, he couldn’t help but regret even making such an offer in the first place—especially once he could’ve sworn that she looked a bit conflicted as well.

Was he being too forward? He’d hate to make her feel like she _had_ to say yes. Or make her feel guilty if she declined. Not to mention she’d already spent all that time with him in Vigarde’s room—why would she want to spend _even more_ time around him?

“Oh, I… Well… Ephraim might start to get worried if I’m gone for too much longer…” Eirika fiddled with the hem of her shirt as she spoke.

Ah, of course. 

That was a whole separate issue Lyon hadn’t even considered until she’d said it just then. Another thing he definitely didn’t want to do was give Ephraim even more reasons to dislike him.

“S-Sorry, I—you’re right. It was silly of me to ask. You should get back to him,” he replied rather quickly, almost ready to turn away from her. 

Before he heard what she said next, that is.

“I _would_ like to have lunch with you, though.” 

And then it was Lyon’s turn to be caught off-guard as she gave him a genuine, almost reassuring smile.

“A-Are you sure?” The words slipped out before he could stop them, practically brimming with disbelief. “I-I mean—Are you sure that’s alright?”

He could feel his cheeks getting warmer as she let out a faint giggle in response. Half of it was from embarrassment at his inability to stop sounding so ungodly nervous, but… the other half was from the way his heart almost seemed to flutter after hearing such a sound.

“Very sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, it only took about 8 months but uhhhh  
> I finally got around to finishing this chapter. x'D
> 
> Sorry about the delay, though. It started when a good friend of mine bought the original Ace Attorney trilogy for me back around June, promptly getting me obsessed with that entire series. And then I went back to school in August, and _then_ I got into this gacha game called Genshin Impact which is still currently overrunning my life. Aaaand. Yeah. So many distractions, so little free time. You know how it is. 
> 
> Hopefully my next update won't take _as_ long, but I can't make any promises :')


End file.
